The Murder Motive That Wasn't Real: The Afreet of Noura and the Beni Suef Taxi Killing

A taxi driver named Mahmoud was found murdered in Bani Suef, Egypt, his blood-soaked vehicle abandoned nearby. Police quickly focused on two suspicious men, Ragaab and Waleed, who had been seen near the taxi and were tied to the crime through witness statements and forensic evidence, including a phone call Waleed had made to the victim shortly before the killing. Ragaab confessed to stabbing Mahmoud, claiming he acted to protect a woman nicknamed “Nora’s Ghost” (Noura), who he believed Mahmoud had blackmailed and assaulted with compromising videos. But when police questioned Noura, she denied any substantial relationship or assault, casting doubt on Ragaab’s justification and suggesting he may have been motivated by delusion rather than fact. Despite both men being convicted of murder, the real reason for Ragaab’s violent attack and Waleed’s role remains unexplained, as no verified conflict existed between them and Mahmoud.